Charles Barkley: Tearing Down Statues is a ‘Waste of Time’

By Nancy Flory Published on August 19, 2017

NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley believes the removal of confederate statues is a “waste of time” and energy. In an interview with Rick Karle of WRBC-TV in Alabama, Barkley said that there are more important things to worry about.

You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to keep doing great things, I’m going to keep trying to make a difference β€” number one in the black community because I’m black β€” but I’m also going to try to do good things in the world.

I’m not going to waste my time screaming at a neo-Nazi who’s going to hate me no matter what. And I’m not going to waste my time … worried about these statues they got all over the country.

When Karle questioned whether the statues should be ignored, Barkley replied, “I’ve always ignored them! Rick, I’m 54 years old. I’ve never thought about those statues a day in my life.” He added that if black people were honest about it, they’d say they hadn’t thought about them a day in their life, either.

Barkley went on to say that there were better things to be concerned about. “What we as black people need to do, we need to worry about getting our education, we need to stop killing each other, we need to try to find a way to have more economic opportunity and things like that. …Those are things that are important and significant.”

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